Specialist Nelly Medel

Special Forces

Special Forces are as tough as they come. Trained in a variety of skills, this brand of Soldier is able to perform many different covert missions for the Army.

How you know we're doing our job right is when you don't know we're there. We'll never fire a shot, not even the dogs bark. You put on that Green Beret, you're part of a legacy. All comrades in arms, they stick together, they'll never leave a fellow Soldier behind, never.

The building block's the team, the A team. There's twelve Soldiers on an A team. Each man on the team has its own specialty. We have lawyers, former Wall Street executives - even doctors who have left their profession to come join Special Forces. There's always existed small elite units that have been as effective as entire divisions. Today, that unit is Special Forces.

About three years ago in Najaf, I'd been put into a situation where I had to infiltrate to remove a high-value target, a person who was of high interest and try to capture him alive. It's amazing how we can stealth fully move into an area, undetected, accomplish the mission, pull off the bad guys, exfiltrate and not have to fire a shot.

One day you might try and solve a problem between feuding war lords, the next day you're jumping out of an airplane at ten thousand feet. It's just another day in the life of a Special Forces' Soldier.

What really sets Special Forces apart is, they're the best of the best. President Kennedy awarded the Green Beret to set us apart, which I think has become universally recognized as a symbol of excellence.